Destroying Our Children

     Several weeks ago now, the New York State Legislature passed a law which repealed previous abortion law; thus removing any restraints on having an abortion during the third trimester of pregnancy.  Further the law allowed other health care professionals to do the abortion procedure without a medical doctor present.  Upon passing this law, there was a burst of congratulations all around and applause.  Governor Cuomo went on to say that pro life supporters and conservatives were not welcome in the state.
     At first, I was shocked that anyone could applaud the killing of a viable baby during the last trimester of pregnancy up to and during the point of labor.  Adoption is a much better option rather than the taking of a life.  In my own experience, I cherished each child and prayed for each one.  I had difficulty getting pregnant so to me, every child was a miracle.

Ryder Glenn Thayer at 6 months

     As I thought about the ramifications of this new law, I recalled the Scripture story of Moses and the burning bush.  God had called him to return to Egypt and the Hebrews that he might lead them out of bondage.  Moses began to make excuses such as the people not believing he was sent from God.  When that failed, he told God he could not speak well.  We pick this up in chapter 4:10-12 of the book of Exodus:  "But Moses said to the Lord, 'Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.'  The the Lord said to him, "Who has made man's mouth?  Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind?  Is it not I, the Lord?  Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.'"
     In this passage of Scripture, I saw something I had never seen or really thought about before.  The Lord plainly told Moses that He makes the mouth.  He also makes the mute (those unable to speak), the deaf, the seeing and the blind.  To put it another way, God makes no mistakes when He creates us in our mother's womb.  For His purposes known only to Him, He makes some to see and some who are blind.  Following along this train of thought, we can conclude that God also makes children who are special needs as well.  Our Branson was a perfect example.  He had multiple difficulties from a physical point of view, and he required a lot of care.  However, the six years we had him brought so much joy to our family and he changed our lives forever.  He was not a mistake.  He was a gift from God's own hands given to our son and daughter in law who lovingly cared for him.
     Two other passages of Scripture also come to mind when thinking about babies as a gift from God.  Psalm 139:13-14 reads:  "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."  The intimacy with which David writes this beautiful Psalm shows a relationship that began in the womb where God fashioned him.  The other Scripture is found in Jeremiah 1:4-5:  "Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.'"  Once again, we see that God formed Jeremiah in the womb and called him to be a prophet even before he was born.
     All of this puts a different perspective on abortion doesn't it?  If God is intimately involved in fashioning a person in the womb and even laying out the plans for their life before birth; then, what we are destroying in abortion is a precious soul made by the hands of God.  How many teachers, musicians, doctors, attorneys, pastors, scientists have been destroyed?  The current count in our country is over 50 million babies killed since Roe v Wade.  Now we are faced with possible infanticide, and God will hold our nation accountable for this slaughter.
     For Christians, we can make a difference by contacting legislators and making our feelings known.  We can volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center or donate to a right to life group.  Certainly the most important thing we can do is to pray.  We must pray for our nation and for the lives of the unborn because we know that God cares even more than we do about each life He has created.  Selah!